President Zourabichvili meets with President of Moldova Maia Sandu
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, at a joint briefing after the meeting with the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili said "it is the duty of us, Georgians and Moldovans, to be able to fulfill our European dream".
"It is important for us, Georgians and Moldovans, to do everything - it is our duty, Georgians and Moldovans, to be able to fulfill our European dream, to fulfill the European dream of our peoples. Our future lies in the political-economic and value sphere of our countries in Europe. We will have more opportunities to develop freely within security and prosperity.
Dialogue, mutual cooperation, sharing of values and differences are part of European integration, which will help our countries to strengthen their European course. Also, it will help citizens to live in a free world," said Maia Sandu.
Maia Sandu discussed the importance of peace in Ukraine and said that without peace in Ukraine, there can be no peace in Europe. She added that "we cannot allow aggression and fear to win,"
As Maia Sandu pointed out, the international community must do everything to stop Russia's aggression and help Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity.
"I hope that your visit will open a new chapter in Georgia-Moldova relations and will be a new impetus for contacts and exchanges in various fields. We are living in very difficult times, the war has been going on in Ukraine for 8 years now. From the very first day, our countries have condemned the unprovoked attack of Russia against Ukraine, which resulted in thousands of deaths, destroyed dozens of towns and villages, and drove tens of thousands of people from their homes. We, of course, offer support and shelter to Ukrainians who fled the war in our countries.
We call to punish this great criminal, war crime committed by Russia against Ukraine. We certainly recognize that this is an attempt at illegal annexation. Both Moldova and Georgia have unresolved conflicts on their territories.
I would like to use this opportunity to express my country's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within the internationally recognized borders." she said.
Maia Sandu added that Moldova wants to strengthen bilateral cooperation, the cooperation of the intergovernmental commission, whether it is in terms of economy, in terms of strengthening various contacts or in terms of various human resources. Sandu said that they want to use their experience to fight against propaganda and disinformation.
"It is a great honor for me to be here today in this very difficult time. For the first time after 12 years, the visit of the President of Georgia to Moldova is taking place, and such a visit is obviously of special importance for the relations between our countries, but today, against the background of what is happening in Europe and Ukraine, it is very difficult for us to start talking about our bilateral relations.
"The war in Ukraine today is a great challenge for Europe, but at the same time it must be said that Europe has seen the true face of Russia today. We have gone through other periods, other wars, other occupations, when our European partners looked at Russia with different eyes and still thought that Russia could be a reliable partner for them, despite its actions. The war in Ukraine changed this vision and everyone saw the real face of Russian aggression, Russia's imperial vision and behavior," said the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvilil.
Salome Zourabichvili once again condemned the aggression carried out by Russia in Ukraine, the annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia.
